


Winds of Change

by PrehistoricCat



Category: Primeval
Genre: Backstory, Gen, Pre-Series
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-02-28
Updated: 2013-09-08
Packaged: 2017-10-31 21:04:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 20,902
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/348353
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PrehistoricCat/pseuds/PrehistoricCat
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A series of significant events in the life of Matt Anderson before he came through the anomaly to our time.  </p><p>100 years in the future, the world is barren and mankind is dying.  In the midst of the devastation, there is still hope...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

The battle had been long and bloody; the worst one anyone could remember. The Predators migrating from the Southern territories were stronger than any they'd encountered before and seemed to have developed an ability to hone in on their intended prey before they could even be seen.

Seven men had been lost before the soldiers finally managed to divide the swarm and immobilise them with the sonic weapons. Now the remaining team were trying to pull themselves together, needing to search for any remaining civilians and ensure all of the Predators were dead.

Sam Hemmings had seen it all. He'd been fighting these things since he was old enough to enlist in the army, like most of the men. It was all they'd known; a lifetime of moving from one base to the next to either escape the swarms of Predators or because the water supply had become contaminated by the toxic storms that raged on the surface of the baron earth. He'd given up on the idea that there was something better than this and simply did his duty; protecting the lives of those that still remained and seeking out revenge on the creatures that had taken everything from him that mattered.

“Do you think the colonists moved on in time?” Sam called out to his partner, Gideon Anderson.

Gideon sniffed and surveyed the surrounding landscape before answering. “They had some warning this time. Dakin had them evacuated as soon as we realised the swarm was heading in this direction to get to the fresh water.”

“Just us idiots left then,” Sam rolled his eyes. “Come on, one more circular check and we should be heading back. My lungs are starting to burn.” Sam decided he was getting too old for this now; his body was struggling to cope. He should leave this sort of thing to the younger men like Gideon who still had the strength to fight and the optimism that one day things would be better for all of them.

Sam and Gideon moved forward, their eyes scanning every inch of the terrain for any sign of life – whether it be human or creature. Suddenly, Gideon stopped and motioned for Sam to be silent. “Can you hear it?” 

Sam shook his head. “All I can hear is the wind.”

“Down below,” Gideon whispered. “It sounds like... like someone crying.”

Sam frowned, then knelt down and strained to hear what Gideon thought he was hearing. He was right, there was someone crying below them. “There has to be an entrance to a bunker close by,” he said, his eyes searching for the tell-tale signs of the trapdoors that sealed the underground bunkers to protect them from the toxic air.

It took just a few minutes to find it, and Gideon pulled it open. They both removed the cumbersome breathing equipment they wore to enable them to climb down the narrow vent that led to the maze of underground tunnels and makeshift residential areas. Before they'd even got halfway down the ladder, both men knew that what they were about to see would not be pretty. The smell was unmistakable – death. It seemed not all of the civilians had managed to escape before the Predators attacked. The crying echoed out, and Gideon realised it was a baby – afraid, hungry, alone... they had to find it. Saving one life amongst all of the devastation that had occurred over the last few hours would make this task seem less futile.

Sam switched on the torch fastened to his head and tried to direct the beam where the crying seemed to be coming from. It was obvious that the Predators had been through here, ripping apart anything that stood in their way. Electricity cables hung dangerously exposed from the ceiling above, making it impossible for the soldiers to turn on lights even if they could get to the generator. They would have to rely on Sam's torch and their own senses to guide them. 

Gideon retched and clutched his stomach, determined not to throw up. He should be used to this by now, but the victims of Predator attacks always suffered a painful, violent death, and the two bodies in front of them were no exception. The bile rose into his throat and he grimaced as he tried, without success, to swallow it down. Sam patted him on the back sympathetically and left him to it whilst he went on ahead.

The baby's cries grew louder and more distressed; Sam moved quicker. He prepared his weapon, and his mind, for what he might encounter. There could still be a Predator here, ready to attack the baby. He couldn't let that happen; children were few and far between these days since no-one really wanted to bring children into this nightmare world, so protecting those that were born was so very important for the continuation of the human race.

Just as Gideon caught up with him, he saw the baby and what he could only assume was his mother. She was barely alive and no more than a child herself from the look of her. She'd been attacked and was bleeding heavily from several large, gaping wounds. Her entire body was shaking and her skin clammy and pale. She did not have long left in this world, yet she seemed to be trying to cling onto her life for the sake of the baby in her trembling arms.

“Hey,” Sam said softly. She looked up, her eyes wide with fear. “It's OK, we're here to help you.”

She nodded and held out the baby. “Please,” she sobbed. “Look after him. His name is Matthew.”

Gideon stepped forward and took the terrified baby into his arms, cradling him and holding him close to his chest making soft, soothing sounds. Sam exchanged a glance with Gideon and he nodded. “I'll make sure he's taken care of,” Gideon said, walking away. He knew what had to be done; some people were beyond medical help and the best thing to do was to put them out of their misery quickly. The hospitals were too full already, dealing with those who had a slim chance of surviving, they couldn't cope with those who would die anyway.

The single gunshot rang in Gideon's ears as he held the baby tight in his arms. He'd almost stopped crying now, comforted in the embrace of the young soldier. A single tear fell down Gideon's cheek as he thought about the tiny human in his arms, now orphaned because of those monsters; life was so very unfair.

-o-

“Don't get too attached,” Gideon said, stroking his wife's back and gazing down over her shoulder at the sleeping baby in her arms. “Once the medics have checked him over tomorrow, he'll be taken to the orphanage in the Northern territory. In fact, he should be in the hospital wing right now.”

“He doesn't need medicine,” Siobhan responded softly. “He needs the safety and comfort of loving arms and a full belly.”

Gideon sighed and knew it would be pointless arguing with her. She longed for a child of her own, but her work was too important to be slowed down by a pregnancy and both she and Gideon knew only too well what sort of life they'd be bringing a child into. “Well, he certainly has those tonight. He looks at peace; hard to believe that there was so much death and destruction around him only hours ago.”

“No child should have to go through any of this,” Siobhan spat angrily. “The sooner we find out where and when this all started, the sooner we can find the right anomaly and go and put it right.”

Gideon kissed the top of her head. Siobhan's passion for her work was one of the things he'd admired about her when he met her. If anyone was going to solve this mystery, it would be her and her team. He'd met her just over two years ago when he had been assigned to escort the team of scientists from the former Irish colonies as they travelled to the Capital to share their knowledge with the team already working on the project. It was her flowing red hair that attracted his attention first, and then she flashed her green eyes at him and he was a goner. 

“You'll do it. The final piece of the jigsaw is out there somewhere, and we'll find it.”

“We have to – for the sake of babies like little Matthew.” Right on cue, Matthew stirred in his sleep. “I should go and put him down on our bed,” Siobhan said, and disappeared into the bedroom. When she emerged a few minutes later, Gideon was sat at the table turning some kind of bracelet over in his hands. Siobhan settled next to him and placed her hand on his to get a better look. “Haven't seen one of those in a long time, where'd you get it?”

“The baby's mother was wearing it. Sam hoped to find some kind of identification on her, but she wasn't carrying anything, just this bracelet.” Gideon passed it to Siobhan. “I think the last one of those I saw was the one my grandmother wore.”

“They gave up issuing ID over 40 years ago, why would she be wearing it?”

“Maybe it was given to her by her mother; a piece of family history. That's why Sam took it. Matthew should have it if it holds clues to his own past and who he is. It's important for anyone to know where they came from.” Gideon turned the bracelet over and noticed for the first time that there was what appeared to be some kind of computer chip attached. A small twist was all it took to remove it and he held it up. “What do you suppose this is? This isn't standard issue.”

Siobhan moved closer to examine it. The design was crude, a technology several generations old in computer terms, but she could probably do something with it to access whatever was stored on it. She agreed with her husband that Matthew should know something of his past to help shape the person he would become, and if that chip held that information then she would get it for him. “I'll have one of the tech guys look at it tomorrow.” She yawned, and stroked Gideon's arm. “It's been a long day, we should get some sleep.”

Gideon nodded. “You go ahead, I'll be through in a minute.” He watched Siobhan go into the bedroom and close the door, then picked up the bracelet again. He couldn't get the image of the baby's mother out of his mind; she seemed very young and it made him wonder what sort of situation she had got herself into to be left alone with a baby. They would never know now; the rest of the colony would be scattered and hopefully have found somewhere safe, so finding anyone who would know Matthew and the circumstances of his birth would be impossible.

He sighed. He was one of the lucky ones. Soldiers were automatically given accommodation within the underground Government facilities around the country, and when he married Siobhan he was allowed to move into private quarters with her. Their two roomed apartment was palatial compared to what most had. They didn't have to worry about finding somewhere safe to set up home, or whether the air would be breathable since the Government buildings all had electronically filtered air.

By the time he'd gathered his thoughts and made his way into the bedroom, Siobhan was asleep. She'd curled herself around the baby protectively, and for a moment Gideon allowed himself to believe that Matthew was their son and that the world outside was green and fertile. Then he returned to the reality of the situation. Tomorrow, Matthew would be handed over to the correct authorities who would place him in the orphanage where he'd be well looked after and prepared for his existence in this inhospitable world. He climbed into the bed, taking care not to wake either his wife or the sleeping baby, and tried to shut his mind off so that he could get the rest he needed.

-o-

The alarm woke all three of them, and it was several minutes before Siobhan could calm Matthew. She tried to push her own fears to the back of her head and be strong; she had to. An alarm at this time of night meant only one thing and she hated it every time it went off.

Gideon was dressed within moments and was communicating with his commanding officer, Captain Dakin. With Matthew finally quietened and nestling against her breast, Siobhan came out into the living area just in time to see Gideon head for the door. He was strapping himself into full breathing apparatus. “Where are they this time?”

“They were sighted about 20 clicks to the South; same place the last wave came from. Dakin's intelligence suggests they're heading this way, although they could get distracted by the colony that's just barely established in the vaults of St. Paul's.”

“Take care.”

She watched him leave and stood staring at the closed door for a moment. Gideon was a good soldier and this is what he trained to do. Protecting human life from the Predators was all he'd ever known since his teens and it was second nature to him. It didn't make it any easier for her though. She would still worry herself sick until he returned. Then there would be several more hours of worry; whilst the breathing equipment filtered out most of the toxins in the air, some of the soldiers still fell ill after being on the surface for an extended period.

Deciding it would be impossible to go back to sleep, Siobhan got dressed and prepared a couple of bottles of baby milk. From the smell of him, it seemed Matthew also needed his nappy changed. She should be taking him to the medics so they could check him over and they'd clean him up and feed him, but it didn't feel right. He deserved to know who he was, and that information was on the computer chip. Before she handed him over, she wanted to extract the details from the ancient chip and have it transferred to a modern data device that would enable him to call it up whenever he wanted. It would be her present to him.

Ryder was already in the lab when Siobhan arrived; he'd probably not actually left since she'd last seen him. What he didn't know about anomalies wasn't worth knowing. He had devoted most of his life to keeping tabs on each one that opened and logging it onto the database so that patterns could be established by Scientists like Siobhan. He'd once jokingly suggested that everyone went through the next anomaly that appeared because it would have to be a better place than this, but got shot down in flames. That wasn't how it worked; what was the point in simply uprooting everyone? The problem would still exist, the world would still end. 

He looked up and scratched his greying beard as Siobhan carefully placed Matthew into a storage box. It would have to do for the moment in the absence of any kind of cot for him. “Bit sudden isn't it? Didn't even know you were expecting!”

“Gideon found him yesterday. His mother was killed by the Predators.”

“Poor little nipper! Still, they'll look after him up North. Another soldier to add to the depleting ranks. How come you still have him?”

“Gideon got called out before we could take him over. Besides, there's something I need to do before he goes, could take a couple of days. How'd you fancy a challenge?” Siobhan knew if anyone could extract the information from the computer chip it would be Ryder. She handed it to him and he inspected it with a grimace on his face. “The baby's mother had it on an ID bracelet. We're guessing it contains his family details, so he should have them before he goes to the orphanage. Do you think you can get the data from it”

“Possibly. Haven't seen anything like this 'cept on them old training videos I watched as a kid.”

“Do what you can, I'd be really grateful – and so will Matthew when he's old enough to appreciate it.”

Ryder turned and began rummaging through his drawers, pulling out various gadgets. Siobhan decided it was probably best not to ask how he'd got them or what they were for and switched on her own computer. She was no closer to finding the point where all this had started and sometimes it felt like this was a pointless exercise; but today she needed the distraction whilst Gideon was on the surface fighting Predators. She was trying to make a visual representation of the anomalies, a sort of three dimensional map that would link them together. About two months ago, she'd stumbled upon a point where all the others seemed to link back to – could it be significant? She had no idea if it was or not, and decided she needed more data. 

It was some hours later when Ryder let out a triumphant 'whoop' and called Siobhan over. “I've copied over everything on the chip onto one of ours, although some of the files are corrupted, and those that aren't seem to be encrypted. Well, most of them. There's a couple that aren't.”

“Well, let's have a look then!” Siobhan said. Secretly she'd been hoping it would take Ryder longer than this so that she could have an excuse to keep Matthew for a few more days. Ryder placed the new chip onto the desk in front of them and activated it, opening up a holographic screen. Moments later, a blue circular logo appeared, with the words “Anomaly Research Centre” written around the edge.

“What the...?” Siobhan's mouth dropped open. She'd never heard of this organisation despite having spent her whole life studying anomalies.

“We should tell Captain Dakin,” Ryder said.

“I think he's a little busy right now.”

“I know... I mean when we can we should tell him. This could be the rebel gang he was talking about before.”

Siobhan closed her eyes and felt her stomach lurch. She vaguely remembered talk of a group of rebels plotting to storm the government complex and take matters into their own hands. They were unhappy at the lack of progress being made towards a solution. Dakin had imprisoned most of them, but there were breakaway groups formed who went into hiding. What if that girl from yesterday was one of them and the bracelet was some kind of tracking device to lead a new group of rebels to them? Maybe baby Matthew was deliberately planted there for the soldiers to find, knowing he'd be taken into the government buildings? 

“Is there anything else?” she asked shakily.

Ryder moved a few objects around the screen and clicked his tongue. “Like I said, most of the files are encrypted. It could take weeks, months even, to encode them. There's this one though... says it's incomplete but it might work. Looks like video.” 

The screen crackled and a grainy image appeared. It seemed to be some kind of lab, much like the one they were in now, and fiddling with the camera was a young, dark haired male. The picture and sound kept faltering and only part of it was audible, but it became very clear that they'd stumbled upon something important.

_“My name is Connor Temple of the Anomaly Research centre and I'm the last person to leave.....we didn't know this would happen...couldn't stop it.... too late for us but I've... my daughter... try to find somewhere safe... sorry.”_

Ryder and Siobhan blinked at the screen for a moment before turning to each other. “What do you think he was talking about?” Siobhan finally asked.

“I don't know, but he said something about his daughter – that girl Gideon found yesterday, the baby's mother?”

“Possibly. Is there a date on the file?”

Ryder shifted a few things around on the screen and frowned. “They're all dated March 2062, but that could be when they were copied onto that chip from an even older device.”

“That's over 50 years ago. She wasn't this man's daughter – his grand-daughter maybe. What's so important on that chip that it's been passed down the family all of this time?”

Ryder was scratching his beard and replaying the video. “I wish we could hear everything he's saying! I might be able to clean up the audio a bit more, but it'll take a few days. In the mean time, Dakin needs to know about this.”

“What are the numbers at the bottom?” Siobhan pointed to the digits in the bottom left. She'd only seen a sequence like that once before, and when the realisation hit her she felt both excited and scared. “It's a date.”

“You sure?”

“Mm. If I'm right, then this video was recorded in the year 2021... Ninety years ago. Get it cleaned up as best you can, we need to know what he's talking about. I'll leave a message for Dakin to come and see us as soon as he gets back.”

Ryder closed the screen down and took the chip over to his own computer. Siobhan knew he would not move or speak until he'd got the audio on the video complete and turned her attention to Matthew who had woken and was beginning to whimper.

-o-

After several hours, Ryder had managed to clean up some of the audio. Dakin closed the door to the lab and settled himself down to watch with Siobhan. The grainy image appeared again and the speech started. 

_“We didn't know this would happen, and by the time we realised that the machine had created an anomaly that would destroy everything we couldn't stop it. Believe me, we've been trying for years! It's too late for us, but I've made a copy of all the research that led to the building of the machine and I'll give it to my daughter. She's under instructions to find somewhere safe and then pass this to someone who can help, someone who can maybe find the right anomaly to go back and stop this. I'm sorry … I never intended this to happen.”_

Dakin swallowed hard and looked at Ryder and Siobhan. “This is from 2021?” They both nodded. “Then it looks like this Anomaly Research Centre is responsible for creating this nightmare we're all in. We keep this quiet for the moment – this information does not leave these four walls. You are not to discuss this with anyone; including your husband, Professor Anderson. We've had false alarms and deliberate misinformation before, it wouldn't do to raise anyone's hopes just yet. We encode those other files and see if they're genuine, and if they are, try to work out exactly what these idiots did and do what this guy suggests. Find an anomaly that will take someone back to a few years before 2021 so they can find this Anomaly Research Centre and stop them!”

Siobhan nodded, her heart in her mouth. Matthew chose that moment to let out a happy screech, blissfully unaware of how important he had become. The man on the video, Connor Temple, had sent his own daughter out to try and get the information to someone who could help. It had taken her ninety years, passing the precious chip from family member to family member until it had finally arrived in the hands of someone who could save the world from destruction.


	2. Chapter 2

He should have been used to death by now; he witnessed it on a daily basis after all. But losing someone close hit hard, and the entire squadron had been rocked by his death. Sam had been like a father to many of the new recruits and Gideon had been his right-hand man for a number of years.

Once it took hold, the illness consumed him quickly. Like so many others before him, the extended exposure to the toxins in the air on the surface had destroyed his lungs to a point where they no longer worked. Gideon had been at his side until the last gasp of air passed his lips. He then closed his eyelids and pulled the sheet over him, ready for the clean up patrols to take his body away. It was the least he could do for his good friend and comrade; one last moment of dignity. There wouldn't be a funeral, just a cremation over and done with in a few minutes; the graveyards were full decades ago so there were no other options.

He stood looking through the small window in the door, watching Siobhan playing with Matthew in the lab. It shouldn't have surprised him in the slightest that she had wanted to keep him instead of sending him up to the orphanage. She had stalled the move for several days, saying that they were having trouble extracting the files from the ancient computer chip on the ID bracelet. Then the storms hit, and they were confined to the residential quarters for three days. By that time, Siobhan and Matthew had bonded like mother and son, and separating them would only cause trauma for both of them. Dakin had agreed to a formal adoption, and Matthew became Matthew Anderson; to anyone else who questioned it, he was Siobhan's nephew and they'd taken him on when her sister died.

At the age of two, Matthew was already showing an inquisitive mind and a degree of intelligence beyond his years. It had saddened Gideon that after the usual “mammy” and “daddy”, the boy's first words were “predator” and “ 'nomaly”, but he also accepted that those were words that would be part of his daily vocabulary. Sooner or later, he would also have to learn “breathing apparatus” and “death” if he was going to function in this crazy world he'd been born into.

Siobhan looked up and smiled at him, beckoning for him to come in. As he went over to her workstation, she flicked the screen off; something she'd been doing for a while now. It never used to bother her if Gideon saw what she was working on, but he had dismissed it as her way of giving him and Matthew her full attention.

“Has he gone?” she asked softly. Gideon could only nod, and Siobhan pulled him into her embrace, stroking his hair for a few moments until he pulled away.

“How has Matthew been?”

“He's good. Learnt a new word today too. I think you'll be pleased.” Siobhan picked Matthew up and sat him on her knee as she activated a new screen on the desk to the side of her computer. She flicked through a few photographs and stopped at one of an orchid.

“Flower!” Matthew squeaked and looked around for praise. He liked this game.

“Yes, Matthew, it's a flower. Clever boy!” Gideon clapped and smiled, and Matthew mimicked him. “You've started teaching him about the world before the apocalypse?”

“I figured the sooner he starts learning what we're all fighting for, the better. He wouldn't have got that at the orphanage you know. They'd have turned him into an emotionless fighting machine with no idea of what or why he was doing it.”

Gideon smiled to himself. Siobhan always seemed to need to justify keeping Matthew. “You're doing an excellent job with him. He'll grow into a fine man, and hopefully he'll be able to make his own choices.”

Siobhan felt her stomach turn. She knew the likelihood of Matthew surviving long enough to become a man was very slim. Things were getting increasingly worse on the surface; the number of Predators seemed to multiply on a daily basis, rumours of a rebellion against the government were growing stronger and now there was a new threat – a giant beetle-like creature that had managed to adapt to life underground and was stalking it's prey in the very tunnels that had been carved out to shelter humans from the Predators. “Do any of us have a choice these days?”

“Matthew will. The research you're doing here will turn up a solution very soon; I feel it in my bones. Now, let me take him home whilst you finish up here. We took a shipment of some kind of root vegetable earlier and I'm keen to try cooking it. Apparently it's very closely related to the potato. Those scientists at the Irish colonies are extremely clever.” Gideon picked Matthew up and nodded at Siobhan as he left.

Siobhan hated keeping secrets from her husband. If she had her way, she'd have told him months ago that her research had found the solution they'd been looking for for many years, but it was all pointless. They knew it had all started some time in the early 21st Century, and Dakin had ordered that she and Ryder went through all of their gathered data and models to find when a suitable anomaly would open that would take them to somewhere within a reasonable time frame. She had triple checked her results, and then Ryder did as well. When they presented their findings to Dakin, he ordered that they rechecked their calculations again. But they couldn't get a different result. The next anomaly that was due to open to approximately the right time would not be for another 18 years. By that time, it was very likely that there wouldn't be any more humans in existence. It was hopeless.

Ryder had suggested picking up an old project he'd been involved in some years ago; creating a device that would force open an anomaly. The theory they'd worked on was that the anomalies were there all of the time, just waiting for the right conditions to exist that would open them up, a bit like earthquakes along the fault lines in the Earth's crust. They knew where the anomaly to the 21st Century was, so if they could force it open now they could send some soldiers through. Dakin had shot the idea down immediately. “It was forcing an artificially created anomaly to open that caused all of this in the first place,” he spat. “Interfering with the natural course of the anomalies is far too dangerous. I will not allow it. If we have to wait 18 years, then so be it.”

She and Ryder had been sworn to secrecy for the sake of morale amongst the soldiers and scientists. Whilst they still believed that a solution was possible during their lifetime, they would still have hope and keep fighting. It was an extremely difficult position to be in, and Siobhan wished she could just go back home to Ireland. At least there it seemed the scientists were doing something useful for everyone. Rumour had it they were creating artificial environments within plastic domes, and that was how they'd produced these new vegetables. Could it be that eventually these domes could be made large enough to sustain human life? That was a project she'd love to be involved in, but she was tied here now. Gideon had his responsibilities and she could not ask him to give them up. She would have to find other ways to feel like she was contributing to their continued survival.

-o-

After Sam's death, there were shifts in responsibilities and new recruits drafted in. When young Lieutenant Greene had arrived at the facility, he had a pregnant girlfriend in tow. She was in the latter stages of her pregnancy, which was a rare enough thing in itself since many women who fell pregnant miscarried within the first half of their pregnancy. She seemed pretty healthy at first, but she showed signs of respiratory problems and was struggling. When she went into labour, it was feared the exertion would kill her and the baby, but the birth went relatively smoothly and a baby girl, Katie, was added to the population of the living quarters. It was an opportunity for celebration, and Siobhan was happy that Matthew would have a playmate close to his own age as he grew up, but grew increasingly annoyed at the assumptions that Katie and Matthew were “the future” and that they'd end up married with children of their own. 

The mother's health deteriorated rapidly after giving birth, and it wasn't long before she could barely muster the strength to lift her own head, let alone nurse a baby. Everyone rallied around to help, including Siobhan who was the only one with any recent experience in taking care of a baby. By the time the mother had passed away, Siobhan had made a major decision about her own life. Whilst baby Katie would continue to live with her father, Siobhan would take care of her during the day alongside Matthew. She would ensure that Katie had the same opportunities that her own Matthew had; education, training, security and most of all, the love of a mother.

“I'm worried about you,” Gideon said, looking around what had once been Siobhan's office. In the far corner was the makeshift cradle that Matthew had had. Baby Katie was having her afternoon nap having just been fed. Next to the cradle was a small, child sized desk and chair, where Matthew was sat playing with various objects on a holographic screen.

“I'm fine, these two are no trouble at all.”

“I didn't mean that. I know you're more than capable of looking after the children. It's just... well, this isn't you. You used to have such faith in the work that you do, but recently you've seemed... removed from it.” Gideon reached for his wife's hand, and she grasped his tightly.

“Having Matthew has changed my priorities, that's all. Ryder and the rest of the team can handle all of the data collation and send it to me. What's the point in fighting for a future if the children we're bringing into the world have no appreciation of what they're missing?”

Gideon understood. He'd changed too if he really thought about it. He was more cautious when out on the surface, especially since Sam had fallen ill. It brought it home to him that they were all vulnerable, and since Matthew had already lost one set of parents it was almost unthinkable what losing his adoptive parents would do to him.

“Daddy?” Matthew was frowning at his screen. Gideon moved over and crouched beside the young boy and looked at the screen. “What's this?” Matthew's tiny finger pointed at the picture of a garden, the sort you'd imagine beside a quaint, white cottage in the countryside.

“That's called a garden, Matthew. They used to have them in the old days before the bad men made the air poisonous and blocked out the sunlight with the dust storms.”

“Why?”

“Who knows, Matthew, who knows. They were bad men with crazy minds.” Gideon sighed and ruffled the boy's hair, then turned and caught the angry look on Siobhan's face. She took him to one side, out of Matthew's ear-shot. 

“Don't tell him things like that!”

“The boy needs to know the truth. He'll work it out for himself some day anyway, I'd rather he heard it from me than through some gossip grapevine that will twist everything.”

“How do you know they were 'bad men'? Maybe they didn't know what they were doing?” Siobhan cast her mind back to the grainy video that had been on the chip Matthew's mother had. The man, Connor Temple, had said 'we didn't know this would happen' and she firmly believed these people were just like her and Ryder; scientists trying to make sense of the anomalies. She also remembered that that man was trying to do something to put it right, sending his beloved daughter off to find help. If he had evil intent, then why would he do that? He was a distant relation to Matthew too; he couldn't be that bad a person.

“Always looking for the best in people,” Gideon smiled. “It doesn't matter whether they meant to do this or not, the fact is they did it and they need to be stopped.”

The conversation was interrupted by the sound of an alarm. It wasn't one Siobhan recognised. “What's that for?”

“The worst kind of enemy,” Gideon swallowed. “Our fellow humans. It'll just be a drill. I'll be back in a while.” He kissed Siobhan's cheek and told Matthew to look after his mother before disappearing down the corridor.

-o-

Before Gideon had even reached the assembly point, he knew this wasn't a drill. The angry chants and the banging on the door had to be the rumoured rebellion they'd been hearing about for some months. The soldiers were preparing weapons; ones with real bullets not electro-magnetic pulses. This was a whole different ball game to shooting Predators on the surface; at least they were somewhat predictable in their motives for attacking. Another human would have so many different reasons for behaving in this way, and that unpredictability made them more dangerous.

“There's about a hundred of them outside!” someone yelled. “And more on the march.” Gideon glanced instinctively to his left to seek the reassurance of Sam, but realised his comrade was not with him. This was the first call to action since his death, and suddenly Gideon felt as if he'd lost a limb. He couldn't do this without the man that had been his guide and he froze to the spot, watching the younger men preparing to defend the complex. As he closed his eyes to try and shut it all out, he could picture Siobhan, smiling down at young Matthew and keeping a watchful and loving eye on the sleeping Katie. They meant more to him than anything.

“Anderson! I need you at the main door,” Dakin barked, shaking Gideon from his moment of loss and bringing him back to where he should be. The soldier's brief for this situation was to protect the scientific complex at all costs; nothing else mattered. If they had to kill someone, that's what they would have to do. If push came to shove, Gideon wasn't sure he could just kill another man. In some ways, he sympathised with those on the outside. They were struggling to survive; each newly discovered underground chamber would only sustain life for a limited period. Once the breathable air and the clean water was gone, they had to move on. It was far removed from the relatively easy life that the government workers had and he couldn't blame them at all for being angry.

The defences at the main door lasted just over an hour. Just the sheer strength of numbers outside finally caused the seal on the door to be breached and hoards of men, women and children poured through. Gunshots were fired into the air in an attempt to move them back, but it was pointless. They knew they outnumbered the soldiers and would soon overwhelm them and be inside the complex.

Gideon could only watch in horror as the hoard spread out, tearing vents open, smashing generators and ripping computers from their fixings. “Stop!” he cried out. “If clean air and fresh water is what you want, then destroying our systems is not going to help.”

“We're tired of waiting for your scientists to put things right. They're in no hurry whilst they live a life of luxury like this!” one man hissed. “Perhaps if they have to suffer like we do, they'll find a solution a whole lot quicker!”

“We all want the same things. They're working as fast as they can. Destroying the complex will only set back their research.”

“Easy for you to say, soldier. When was the last time you watched a loved one die in front of your eyes simply because they haven't had a drop of water for days?”

Gunshots rang out from both sides and Gideon heard demands from the rebellion to be shown where the scientists were. He had to get to Siobhan and warn her; she had to take the children to safety. Making sure he wasn't followed, he slid down the corridor and through the security doors to where Siobhan and the other scientists were working.

“What's happening out there?” Ryder asked.

“It's the rebellion. They're coming after you all. Take whatever research you can and head for the bunker. Siobhan, you have to take Matthew and Katie.” Gideon's voice was urgent, and the scientists realised this was serious. They began ripping their hard-drives from the casings and shoving whatever they could into bags.

Siobhan hugged Gideon. “The children matter,” he said, stroking her hair. “Make sure they're safe. I have to go back. It's pretty desperate in there.”

“I understand. Go.”

Gideon gave a lingering look around, told Siobhan that he loved her and turned to rejoin his comrades on the front line.

-o-

Around her, Siobhan's colleagues were desperately trying to rescue whatever they could of their precious research. Her only thought was the secrets she had been forced to keep regarding Matthew's connection to those that had been the cause of destruction of the earth, and also the date and place of that important anomaly that would open in 18 years time to allow someone to go back in time to fix things. She feared if the truth about Matthew was known, he would be a target for those currently attacking the complex. She stared at his computer chip. It didn't need to be kept, she knew the details by heart and would one day be able to tell Matthew herself. She placed it on the desk and took the large, metal hammer that was fastened to the wall 'in case of emergency'. The chip shattered into hundreds of pieces.

Ryder gave her a questioning look but when she just glared back at him, he knew not to push it. “Do you have that anomaly model we were working on?” she called.

“It's all downloaded onto this.” Ryder patted a metallic tube like object under his arm. “And that anomaly is marked.”

“Good, bring it with us.” Siobhan then took the hammer again and smashed both her's and Ryder's computers. No-one else would get hold of that data. “Don't look at me like that,” she said to Ryder, who was staring wide-eyed. “Didn't Dakin say we had to protect that information at all costs? That's what I'm doing.”

“No arguing from me. Now, you take the children and I'll follow behind.” Dakin ushered Siobhan towards the hidden door that led to the emergency escape tunnel and to the bunker. Siobhan scooped up Matthew into one arm and Katie into the other and slid through the doorway whilst Ryder held it open for her. He then closed it firmly behind them, sealing it from whatever danger was lurking beyond the other walls.

-o-

It felt like they'd been there for hours. Both Katie and Matthew had fallen asleep against Siobhan's chest, and Ryder had been trying to hook into the communication network but failing. They'd expected more of the scientists to have arrived by now, and maybe even some of the soldiers, but none had come.

“Something's wrong,” Ryder said, pacing around the small room. “I'm going to take a look.”

“You shouldn't go out there alone,” Siobhan warned. “I'll come with you.”

“You need to stay here with the kids. If they wake up alone in a strange place, they'll be scared.”

“It's just for a few minutes. They'll sleep for hours yet.” She sat up, carefully moving Katie so that she was propped against Matthew, and then slowly slid away so that he was resting against the wall. Giving them a quick glance to make sure they had not stirred, she followed Ryder back along the corridor into their lab.

She was not prepared for the horror that greeted them. Gideon had described the devastation he witnessed on a regular basis when the Predators attacked a residential colony, but it was nothing compared to the reality. The bodies of their colleagues were scattered around the room, some barely recognisable as human. She put her hand over her mouth and forced back the nausea.

“How the hell did Predators get in here?” Ryder asked.

“When the rebels broke in, they must have left the entrance open. With the soldiers fighting the rebels, no-one would be watching for the Predators. Oh god! Gideon!” Siobhan blinked back her tears, trying not to think the worse.

“He'll be fine. He's been dodging those critters for years.” Ryder placed a comforting arm around her shoulders. Just as he was about to suggest that she went back to the children, the unmistakeable sound of a baby's cry echoed through the corridor.

Siobhan screamed and grabbed a gun from one of the bodies on the ground, running towards the sound. Ryder gave chase after her, having also grabbed a gun.

A Predator was stood in front of the two children. Matthew was desperately rocking Katie in his arms, trying to make her stop crying. He had had it drummed into him that these creatures located their prey by sound, so he knew he had to get her to be quiet.

“Get away from them, you bastard!” Siobhan yelled, pulling the trigger on her gun and repeatedly firing at the creature. Ryder fired too but it was too late. An eerie, stunned silence filled the room, and then the muffled cries of two terrified children.

“Mammy? Mammy?” Matthew crawled over to Siobhan's motionless body. “Wake up, Mammy!”

Ryder sat up and pulled the young boy into his arms, whispering that it would be OK. He'd seen the Predator turn from the children and pounce on Siobhan, her bullets not even scratching it's leather like skin. He had fired directly at it's head but it still kept coming, Siobhan's lifeless body slumping to the ground as anger and adrenalin coursed through his body. Three more shots and the creature fell. He'd killed it.

The pain of his own wounds was indescribable, and now his head was spinning. The last thing he would be aware of before he blacked out forever was the sound of little Matthew sobbing for his dead mother. At least the children were spared, and that thought was his last.


	3. Chapter 3

“Matty?”

“Go back to sleep!”

“But, Matty, I want to help...” Katie pulled back the blanket and blinked in the dim light. This was becoming a regular occurrence and she was worried. 

“I'm fine, just go back to sleep.” Matthew snapped at her, more from embarrassment at being caught than anything else. He was ten years old, practically a man, they kept telling him. If they knew he was wetting the bed because of the nightmares he'd been having, he'd be ridiculed and his life would become even more unbearable. He angrily pulled the sodden sheet from his mattress and attempted to fold it. Katie was at his side by now, trying to take the sheet from him. He gave in and let her help him, but he couldn't look her in the eyes.

“We should wash this,” Katie said softly. “This is the third time in two weeks, it'll smell and they'll know you're wetting the bed.”

“I know, but how do I wash it without dad finding out?”

“We'll say it's mine. Put my dry sheet on your bed and I'll say I had an accident.”

“I can't let you lie for me, Katie.”

She placed her hand on his shoulder and smiled. “It doesn't matter to me. They think I'm just a kid anyway.” She then moved to her own bed and pulled off the sheet, ready to place it on Matthew's mattress. He watched her smooth it over and tuck it in and then he sat down on the bed, motioning for her to join him. As she sat down, he pulled the blanket around both of them and Katie nestled herself against his body. 

After several minutes silence, Katie decided it was time she got some answers. “You had another bad dream didn't you?” Matthew nodded. “What was it about? You can tell me.”

“It doesn't matter.”

“Yes it does. I have to share a room with you. If you're going to keep waking me up like this, then don't I at least deserve an explanation?”

Matthew nodded again and sighed. She was right; she did deserve an explanation. She may only be seven years old, but she had witnessed and experienced just as much as he had. If anyone would understand, it would be her. “Do you remember my birthday?”

“Course I do! They said that now you were almost a man you could start to learn to be one. I was afraid they'd split us up.” Katie bit her bottom lip. She'd never admitted that before.

Matthew slipped his hand into hers and squeezed it. “I won't let them, Katie. You and I stick together, no matter what. I thought being with the soldiers would be cool, but it's not. I don't want to fight.”

“Is that what's wrong? Is that why you're having bad dreams?” Matthew blinked and nodded. “Then you have to tell dad, Matty. There's other things you can do; that we can both do. You don't have to be a soldier.”

“I can't. It's dad that wants me to learn how to be a soldier. He told me things. He says there's something important I have to do and I have to be prepared for it.”

“Like what?”

Matthew leaned back and closed his eyes. He remembered every detail of the meeting and it scared the hell out of him. He'd always known that Gideon was not his and Katie's real father, and he'd always known about the day his adoptive mother had died along with the other Scientists at the government facility. Katie did too. It was that shared past that had kept them so close, and Gideon had been determined that the two children should stay with him.

After the fall of the government, Gideon had fled along with the few soldiers that survived to the nearest underground bunker before deciding that he should take the children to the relative safety of the Irish colonies. They'd spent many months travelling from bunker to bunker as they moved towards the west, settling in a colony by the coast to wait for a boat that would take them across the Irish sea. The boat never came, and they'd been living here for the last six years now.

They celebrated Matthew's birthday on the date that Gideon and Sam had found him as a baby, and after the usual exchange of gifts and a mug of the sweet, synthesised fruit juice that practically cost an arm and a leg, Matthew had been taken aside for a chat – 'Man to man'. 

“Your mother and the other scientists were clever people,” Gideon had said. “They were trying to find a way to stop all of the bad stuff that is happening to us. When we found their bodies, they were all carrying hard drives with copies of their work on, including your mother and her assistant, Ryder.”

Matthew had heard of Ryder before. Gideon had said he was a computer genius and had been trying to decipher some files found on a chip that Matthew's real mother had on a bracelet. The chip seemed to have been lost though, and Gideon didn't know if Ryder had ever managed to find anything. Sometimes he wondered if it should bother him that he didn't know anything about his real family. He barely remembered Siobhan, let alone the woman who had given birth to him, why should it matter how he'd come into this world? 

“No-one in the surviving group actually understood most of the research they had, but what we managed to work out was that they'd traced the origin of the big disaster to the early 21st century and that they'd found an anomaly that would take someone back to that time to try to stop it It was marked on a kind of map that Ryder had uploaded onto a special device.”

Matthew had smiled at Gideon, and he'd asked when the anomaly would open. “Not for another ten years, Matthew. But that's a good thing, it means we have plenty of time to prepare and train someone for the mission. That person will need to be a brave soldier, but also have knowledge of the world before the apocalypse. He will have to live amongst the people of the 21st century and try to find those responsible for interfering with the anomalies.”

“Ten years is a long time!” Matthew declared. 

“It is, but I am sure that you will use the time wisely.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, Matthew, that you will be the one that will be trained for the mission. You'll be 20 years old when the anomaly opens; a young man with energy and passion. Your training will begin tomorrow. The soldiers will teach you how to defend yourself and how to fight, and then we'll find a way over the sea to the Irish colonies where the scientists are so that you can also learn about the life you'll find on the other side of the anomaly.” Gideon patted Matthew on the head and then placed his hand on the boy's cheek to make him look at him. “If anyone can do this, it's you, Matthew. The future is in your hands.”

Matthew opened his eyes again and gazed at Katie. She was open mouthed and blinking away tears. “It'll be OK, Katie. I have ten years to get ready.” He wiped a stray tear from her cheek and tucked a stray lock of her blonde hair behind her ear. “Maybe it won't be as bad as I think.”

“They can't make you go, Matty!” Katie wailed. “I'll go.”

“You'll never be allowed to,” Matthew said softly. “They'll expect you to be there, taking care of the injured soldiers and looking pretty, and maybe one day they'll find a husband for you so you can have babies.”

Katie grimaced. “I'd rather die facing a Predator than get married!”

Matthew laughed and gave her a friendly shove. She shoved him back and they collapsed in a fit of giggles on the bed for several minutes before Matthew pulled the blanket back around them and whispered that they should try to get some more sleep before morning. Katie fell asleep almost immediately, her head resting on Matthew's shoulder and his arm circling her waist. He tried to sleep too, but his head was full of so many thoughts. Their paths had been chosen for them already and neither had any say in the direction they would go. Ten years from now, Matthew would be leaving everything behind; the people he loved and the life he'd come to know. He would be facing an unknown enemy that was capable of destroying the world with no-one at his side to guide or support him. His stomach tightened. Tonight would not be the last time he'd wake from a nightmare.


	4. Chapter 4

Matthew sighed and rested his chin on his bent knees, wrapped his arms around them and attempted to shut everything out. Every single part of his body hurt; muscles, tendons, nerves. Even his bones felt like they didn't belong to him. 

The small bio-dome was his own private sanctuary away from the underground caverns they called home; the only place he could be completely alone. He'd helped to build the main experimental domes during his first few months at the Irish colony, and as a reward he'd been allowed to have some materials to make his own. Katie had too; and with his assistance she'd built one next to his. At first they'd thought it fun and pulled faces at each other through the transparent panels, but as the months and years began to pass by, both felt an increased need for privacy. That was when things had started to get awkward. They were growing up and teenage hormones waged war on their emotions as well as their bodies.

He'd been thinking about Katie a lot recently, and that was partly why he was in the state he was in now. As his eyes closed, he was taken back to the terrible journey they'd made over the sea from the mainland. Katie had suffered with sea-sickness, and he'd teased her relentlessly about it. By nightfall however, he started to get concerned about her; dehydration had begun to set in and she was incredibly weak. He remembered her nestling herself against his chest as he tried to get her to take just a small sip of water from his hip flask. When she finally fell asleep, he was worried she wouldn't wake again, so he kept pressing his fingers to her neck to check for a pulse and refused to go to sleep himself so that he could make sure she was OK. Fortunately, she was much better in the morning, and the pair of them sat at the front of the boat watching the Irish coast come into view and feeling like they were at the dawn of a new beginning.

Life in the Irish colony had been considerably better than on the mainland. The air was still poisonous, but the dust storms were less frequent which made travel on the surface easier. There were no predators here that they were aware of, although Gideon had warned that it would only be a matter of time before they either managed to stow away on one of the many vessels now making the journey across the sea or evolved into creatures capable of swimming.

The rumours about the scientists here developing ways of growing crops were true; in part anyway. They'd stumbled upon some old computer files detailing a project from the late 20th century where environments were recreated inside giant domes. Having managed to recreate the technology on a small scale, they were slowly working towards larger ones that could sustain a breathable atmosphere long enough for humans to live in. There had been some limited success in growing a kind of potato, but the crop withered and died very quickly unless it was harvested promptly.

Matthew and Katie were schooled alongside 6 other children in the colony. They were taught reading, writing, Maths and the Sciences. History and Geography came from old computer records and all were taught what life was like before the apocalypse that had destroyed the atmosphere and made the land barren. Matthew always felt uncomfortable during those lessons. All eyes would be on him; the saviour, the one that would go back to that time and prevent the disaster from happening. He wished they'd chosen someone else.

After school, Katie was allowed to join the other children to pursue other interests. Matthew had watched them with envy as they played games whilst he was forced to continue his 'studies' – he had to be skilled in other areas, not just with his mind. It was a source of great frustration for Matthew and he occasionally rebelled against it, joining the other boys for a game of football instead of going out with the men to learn how to be soldier.

“Thought I'd find you here.” Katie's voice interrupted his thoughts.

“Go away!”

“Well, that's nice, isn't it? I came to bring you some food since you missed dinner, and all I get is abuse!” She stood in front of him, hand on hip with a mock look of indignation on her face. Matthew couldn't help smiling and he uncurled himself as she moved to sit beside him.

“Sorry. Bad day.”

Katie passed him the chunk of meat she'd wrapped in a piece of cloth. “You argued with Gideon again.”

“It was nothing.”

“Doesn't look like nothing,” Katie observed, running her fingers over his face. “Or have you forgotten you have a black eye and a bust lip?”

“I got into a bit of a fight and Gideon gave me a hard time over it. That's all.” He bit into his meat and turned away so that she couldn't look into his eyes.

“That's not like you, Matty. Why were you fighting?”

“I've forgotten, it was stupid. And my name's Matt.” He felt his cheeks begin to burn. He couldn't tell her why he'd been fighting; it would change everything.

“Oh yes, sorry - Matt - I'd forgotten you're a man now that you're almost 17.” Katie mocked, then her voice softened again and she reached out to touch his cheek. He winced and pulled away, but Katie persisted and touched him again. “That eye looks bad. And your lip. Did you get Niamh to have a look at them?”

“I'll live. I'm going to have to put up with worse than this before I go through the anomaly.”

“Even so, they need looking at, Matty... Matt. Let me at least put a cold compress on and try to bring down some of the swelling.” Before he could respond, Katie was scurrying away. He sighed; he was an idiot. He should have sent her away and not got into a discussion with her. Now she was going to be his nursemaid and it would just add more weight to the evidence that the others had been giving him a hard time over.

“She's got it bad for you,” Jones had said.

“Katie? She's my sister.”

“Not really, you just grew up together. I've seen the way she looks at you, and I've seen the way you look at her. She makes your trousers go tight doesn't she?”

Matt had felt his blood begin to boil. That was a private thing, and no-one else had the right to even mention it. “That's none of your business!” he spat at the older man.

Jones laughed and made a gesture with his hand. Another of the soldiers, a tall red headed man called Mac, joined them. “Little Matthew has to go and relieve himself because he's got the hots for his sister!” he sniggered.

Matt felt his throat tighten. Truth was, it wasn't just nightmares that woke him from his sleep these days. He hated having no control on certain parts of his anatomy, but most of the time he could deal with the situation swiftly. It was part of growing up, he supposed. It would get better with maturity and he'd be able to suppress these carnal longings. However, more recently, he'd woken with images of Katie in his head, and once or twice he'd caught himself muttering her name as he relieved himself. He tried to shut her out; she was barely 14, still a girl, and although they weren't actually blood relatives they had been brought up as brother and sister. He shouldn't be having these kind of thoughts about her at all, but the more he tried, the worse it got. He'd see her sapphire blue eyes sparkling as she smiled at him, and the way she flicked her long, wavy, blonde hair over her shoulder whilst she leaned over her desk to read sent a shiver down the length of his spine. 

He wouldn't let these idiots get to him though, what the hell did they know? He had turned to walk away, but then he heard one of them call, “Hey, Anderson... if you won't slip it into her, gimme a couple of years and I wouldn't mind doing it! She'll be a hot bit of skirt when she's a bit older.” He saw red; how dare they speak about Katie like that! He ran at the two soldiers and his fist connected with a jawbone. The next thing he knew, he was laid flat on his back on the hard, dusty earth with a heavy boot being jabbed hard into his stomach. His head was spinning, his body felt numb and he could only just make out the voices around him. He no longer cared what they were saying, he just wanted this pain and embarrassment to stop.

Somehow he managed to drag himself down into the living quarters and into the bathroom. He'd hoped to patch himself up and hide the worst of his bruises, but Gideon had heard him come in and wanted to know why he was back from training so early. 

“Clearly your reflexes are not as sharp as they should be yet, Matthew,” Gideon said calmly as he watched Matt trying to clean the cut above his lip. “Bad training session?” He moved closer to place a comforting hand on the younger man's shoulder. When Matt shrugged it away, he sensed there was more to this. “What happened?”

“I lost my temper and they got the better of me, that's all. It won't happen again.”

“You were fighting? Matthew, how many times have we drilled it into you? Save your energy and anger for those that deserve it. Fighting your comrades is not the answer to your problems. You need to focus!”

“They were saying things about Katie!” Matt snapped back, then instantly regretted it when he saw the look in Gideon's eyes. 

Gideon sighed. “I wondered how long it would be before we'd have to have this discussion. Come with me, we need to talk.”

“There's nothing to talk about.”

“I've been watching you, Matthew. You're a good looking young man, with raging hormones and desires you're not entirely sure about. Katie's on the cusp of becoming a woman, and an attractive one at that. No-one would blame you for being attracted to her, it's perfectly natural.”

Matt felt his cheeks burning and his eyes dropped to the ground. Gideon was hitting incredibly close to the nail and he wasn't sure how he was supposed to be responding.

“You have to remain focussed, now more than ever. In three year's time you'll be going through that anomaly, you can't allow yourself to be distracted by feelings and emotions that will hold you back from doing what you need to do.”

“What?” Matt blinked and glared at the man he'd knew as a father. 

“All that matters is the mission, Matthew.”

“So I should've just stood there and let those... those idiots say those things about Katie?”

“Your defending of her is admirable, but I fear that your feelings for her will cloud your judgement when the time comes for action. You have to be single minded and...”

“Screw the mission!” Matt spat, pushing past Gideon and heading towards the exit. “I never asked to be the chosen one, and I don't want to do it!” He slammed the door behind him, ignoring Gideon's calls for him to come back, and ran to the safety of his bio-dome where he could be alone.

At least, alone until Katie had come looking for him. She was back now, and although he tried to ignore her, she would not be shaken away. She pressed something cold and wet against his bruised eye, making him suck in his breath.

“Stop being such a baby!” she chastised. “Or do you want to go around with a swollen eye you can barely see out of?”

“I don't need you to make a fuss.”

Katie ignored him and pressed the compress against his eye harder whilst her fingertips traced over the cut on his lip. “You're lucky, doesn't look like it needs a stitch, and it's clean so it shouldn't get infected.”

“I told you, I'm fine.”

“Yes, you will be.” Katie leaned back as if admiring her work, then she leaned in and kissed his cheek lightly. It was something she'd done hundreds of times before, but it felt different this time. A warm tingle seemed to emanate from the spot where her lips had been, and it radiated out to the rest of his body. He pulled away to protest, but she followed and kissed him again, this time her lips pressing against his, briefly but enough to fire nerves Matt didn't know he had.

“What did you have to do that for?” he snapped angrily, standing up. “You've ruined everything!”

“I just wanted to... I thought you did too. I'm sorry.” She grabbed his hand but he shook it away and practically ran for the doorway. “Matty! Matt! Don't go! I'm sorry, I won't do it again!”

He barely heard her pleas. As he grabbed the door handle, he felt the bile rising in his stomach and a searing pain behind his eyes before everything went black.

-o-

“He's awake! Gideon, he's awake!” the familiar female voice sounded a little odd as Matt slowly came round. He blinked his eyes and opened them, staring straight into the concerned eyes of Katie.

“Hey,” he said softly, the words barely audible.

Gideon was beside Katie now, looking equally concerned but trying his best to smile. “Matthew, good to have you back with us. Katie, go and find Niamh and tell her that he's conscious, and bring some water back with you.” Katie nodded and disappeared, leaving Matt blinking at Gideon and confused.

“You had us worried for a while,” he said, stroking Matt's forehead. “Seems you got hit on the head harder than we thought. You were out cold for three days.”

It was all coming back to Matt; the beating, the argument, the kiss... he tried to sit up, but his body protested violently and the pain was excruciating. Gideon placed his hand on his chest and told him to stay still. “Judging by the bruising on your ribs and back, Niamh thinks you also have some internal damage. The men that did this to you have been dismissed from the colony.”

“There was no need to do that. I was as much to blame for...”

Gideon lowered his voice. “Distractions, Matthew. We can't have anything around you that will prevent you from being one hundred percent focussed.” He paused, then took Matt's hand. “Katie's going away for a few months. She has a place on the expedition to study the cluster of giant beetles that's been hibernating on the northern coast all winter.”

Matt felt sick and tears prickled his eyes. Katie had often talked about wanting to actually see the creatures she'd been studying; animal behaviour fascinated her and this would be exactly what she would love to do. “Was it her choice to go?”

“Of course it was, she jumped at the opportunity. It's considered an honour, especially as she's so young.”

Matt couldn't help wondering just how much say Katie had had in the matter, and he was about to question that when Niamh and Katie arrived. Niamh immediately moved to Matt's bedside and pulled away his blanket to give him a full examination whilst Gideon and Katie stood to one side.

“I think you'll live,” Niamh declared after several minutes. “You must rest though, no training for a few days. You have to take care of yourself.”

“I'll make sure he does, Niamh. Thank you so much for your help the last few days.” Gideon shook her hand and walked her over to the door. “Katie, let's leave Matthew to get some sleep, you heard what Niamh said.”

“I'd like to stay for a few more minutes,” Katie said, “If Matty will let me?” He nodded and Gideon sighed.

“Just for a short time then, Katie. You need to get ready for your trip.” He closed the door quietly behind him, leaving a slightly red faced Katie alone with Matt. 

She sat next to his bed and pressed a flask of water to his lips, urging him to take a drink. The cold, soothing liquid felt good as it slipped down his parched throat, but as he tried to gulp more he almost choked. Katie pulled the flask away and wiped his mouth. When she went to move her hand away, Matt placed his own over it and squeezed it.

“You're going away?”

Katie nodded. “North coast. Studying the beetles.”

“So I heard.” There was an awkward silence and Katie turned away as if looking at Matt was too painful. “Is it because of me that you're going away?”

“Not everything's about you, Matt!” she scowled. “I want to do something that will make a difference. I'm tired of sitting around in your shadow the whole time.” Matt looked shocked; he had no idea she felt like that. “You're lucky,” she continued. “Everything you want has been handed to you on a plate. I've had to fight to be recognised as someone other than the silly little girl with a crush on the man that's going to save the world.” Her cheeks burnt red and she screwed up her eyes, fighting back the tears stinging them. 

Matt reached out to her, but she stood up and took a deep breath. “I have to go.”

“You'll be back though?”

“The expedition is planned to last for three months. Who knows after that. Perhaps if I prove myself to be a good scientist they'll let me on other expeditions. Maybe I'll even go back to the mainland to study the predators and see if there's a way to stop them.”

“Katie, you don't have to...” He stopped. He realised she was going of her own free will; that she needed to do this. His rejection of her had probably made her decision easier. 

“Bye, Matty.” She opened the door and paused, waiting for him to correct her. When he didn't, she sighed and closed the door behind her.

“Katie!” Matt called after her, but it was too late. He knew what he wanted to say, but it would just complicate things. Gideon was right; Katie was becoming too much of a distraction for him. With her away, he could throw himself back into his training and prepare himself for the huge task ahead of him.


	5. Chapter 5

There were a number of things on Matt's mind as he watched his partner walk away to begin his turn on patrol along the perimeter.

First and foremost, Katie's three month expedition had stretched out to seven months and there was still no word as to when they would be returning. He knew the team were sending their findings to the scientists here on a regular basis, and the fact that there'd been no reports of anyone being killed had to be a good thing. He just wished he knew for certain that she was OK. 

The power was restricted to one hour every evening at the moment, which at least meant Matt knew when the emails would arrive. He'd hang around the labs and listen very carefully, hoping to catch a mention of her or at least some indication that the team were on their way back. But it never came and he was beginning to think he'd never see her again. His own mission was now only two and a half years away and it wouldn't be long before he and Gideon would begin the journey to the predicted anomaly site back on the mainland.

He was of a mind to find out exactly where she was based and make the trip there himself, but he didn't dare ask questions. It would somehow get back to Gideon and he'd be in trouble for allowing himself to be distracted again. Getting into yet another fight with Gideon was the last thing he wanted, especially now.

Gideon was another worry. Matt had been assigned to the army full time shortly after Katie had left - “The best teacher you can have now, Matthew, is experience,” Gideon had said. Matt had assumed he'd be working alongside his father; after all, Gideon had mentored many of the new recruits over the years. But the day Matt started, Gideon announced he was taking a back step and would be basing himself in the science labs to assist with the research.

Matt knew he shouldn't have been as surprised as he was. Gideon was not a young man any more and he had been spending more and more time in the makeshift lab. More recently, Matt had noticed that Gideon had developed a cough. Most of the elders had one, and it usually meant the start of one of the lung diseases that claimed the lives of many eventually. It was inevitable that Gideon would soon fall foul of one of them given the amount of time he'd spent on the surface on patrol, but it was still a painful thought. Matt was losing him, just as he'd lost his real family and his adopted mother all those years ago. Katie was the only family he'd have left soon, and he wasn't even sure he still had her.

Zach, Matt's new partner, was striding back towards the shelter. “Don't know why we bother.” he said as he sat down next to Matt. “Those predators haven't made it over from the mainland yet.”

“My dad says they will do, one day. They're evolving rapidly and it won't be long before they develop a way to get across the sea.”

“Would be nice to get a bit of action.”

“Action?” Matt was incredulous. “Those creatures kill people indiscriminately. I've lost most of my family to those things, it's not a game you know!”

“I know, I know. Sorry. Just kind of feels we're a bit useless, you know? They trained us for combat and then stick us in the middle of nowhere where the most dangerous thing we come across is your smelly boots!”

Matt elbowed his friend in the ribs and laughed. He liked Zach, he'd arrived at the colony around the same time he had, but was a couple of years older. He was also one of the few here that hadn't given him a hard time about the special treatment he sometimes received. Zach had a brother that was part of the same team as Katie.

“Have you heard anything from Richard?”

Zach shook his head. “I'm guessing they'll be on their way back soon though. Winter's coming, and those insects they're studying will be going into hibernation.”

“Really?” Matt didn't know that, but it made sense. Hopefully that meant he'd see Katie soon after all. Suddenly he felt a lot happier. Once she was home, he could talk to her properly about what had happened. He wondered if she'd been thinking about him as much as he'd been thinking about her. Maybe she'd also put his mind at rest about Gideon's apparent illness.

-o-

The next couple of weeks passed slowly, but Matt was cheerful and went about his tasks with enthusiasm and even put in some study. Gideon was off his back and he even found time for socialising with some of the other young soldiers.

The research team were greeted with much excitement; family and friends reunited after many months apart. Matt tried to find Katie in the crowd, pushing past hugging groups. When he eventually got to her, Gideon had his arms around her but she looked up and met Matt's eyes as he approached. His heart leapt; it was the same look she'd given him when she'd kissed him.

“Look at you, Matty. All grown up in your uniform,” Katie said. “They turned you into a man whilst I away.” Matt felt his cheeks burn.

“Aren't you supposed to be on guard duty, Matthew?”

“They gave Zach and I the night off since his brother was coming home and Katie...”

Gideon sighed then released Katie. “I suppose it's not every day we have a home-coming and I'm sure your sister has lots of stories she wants to share with us.”

Katie nodded. “You wouldn't believe some of the things we saw out there!” she gushed. 

“I saw the reports you made,” Gideon said proudly. “Your findings will be of great use to the patrols if your predictions that they are heading this way are correct.”

“You've been reading Katie's reports and you didn't tell me?” Matt suddenly felt anger stirring in his stomach and welling up inside like bile rising and making him feel sick. If he'd known that Gideon had been keeping tabs on the scientists he wouldn't have worried half as much as he had been. How could Gideon not tell him?

“You didn't need to know, Matthew. You're a soldier and you have to remain focussed on that.”

Matt couldn't take it any more. He was ready to explode, but he knew if he lost it now he'd say or do something he regretted. One thing being in the army over the last few months had taught him was that he needed to bite his tongue and keep the peace. He turned and began to walk away, hating that he had to leave Katie when she'd only just returned. 

The underground bunker of the soldier's quarters was empty. Tonight they were all either on patrol or at the celebrations. Matt was grateful for the solitude. He needed to gather his thoughts and let his emotions out in private. It was so unfair; he'd been almost convinced that Katie's team may never return and all this time Gideon had known what they were doing, deliberately keeping it from him.

He hadn't realised he'd been crying until he heard the creaking of the ladder that led down from the surface into the bunker. Someone was coming and he pulled himself together, wiping his face and blinking, hoping it would not be too obvious. 

“Matty?” The loud whisper was familiar. Katie was the only one who still called him Matty these days and although he thought it sounded childish he actually liked it coming from her; not that he'd admit to it. “Are you down here?”

“Over here,” he called. “And it's Matt!” he hissed. She jumped from the last rung and made her way through the darkened shared sleeping quarters towards where Matt was sitting, perched on the edge of his bunk. She sat next to him silently, waiting for him to speak. 

“It's good to see you again,” he finally said.

“What was all that about? I can't believe you and Gideon are still arguing after all this time.”

“He thinks I shouldn't have a life!” Matt spat. “All because of that stupid mission he's been grooming me for.”

Katie reached for his hand and curled her fingers into his. He felt a warm tingle of excitement, but pulled away. Deep down, as much as he hated to admit it, he knew Gideon was right. It was starting to make sense. Gideon knew he was falling for Katie, which would make leaving her behind so much harder. 

“It's not stupid, Matty...Matt, and you know it. What you're going to do... it's going to save all of us. I did a lot of thinking whilst I was away. I guess until now I've just accepted that our life is this way, but it shouldn't be. We shouldn't be gasping for air every time we step outside and fearing for our lives from the creatures that are evolving and adapting themselves to live in that environment. You're going to make sure that that all stops. You'll be a hero.” She took his hand again and squeezed it tightly. 

“What if I don't want to be a hero? What if all I want to do is get on with my job, live my life and do what I have to do to stay alive for as long as I can?”

“Your job is to go through that anomaly and stop whoever it was that caused all of this.”

“But I won't be coming back,” he sighed, squeezing Katie's hand back. “If I succeed, then this won't exist any more, and if I fail then I have no way of getting back here. Either way, I won't see you again once I've gone through.”

“Then we make the most of the time we have left,” she whispered, leaning in and kissing him softly on the lips. Matt responded, closing his eyes and tasting her. Something stirred, a feeling he'd only ever experienced in the privacy of his bed covers in the dead of night and then he crashed back to reality. This couldn't happen. He pulled away and stood up, cursing himself for allowing himself to be distracted like this. All these years of training were hard to shake off, despite his hatred for it. 

“I'm sorry,” Katie said. “This was why I was sent away in the first place; to keep us apart so that you could go and do what you have to do without feelings getting in the way.”

“We have to fight the way we feel, Katie. If we give in to them, you'll just get sent away on another research mission and I'll not see you again. At least if we keep some distance between us, you'll be able to stay here until I leave. It'll give us more time.”

Katie nodded and said she was going back to the celebrations before she was missed. Matt said he'd follow shortly and watched her climb back up the ladder slowly. It was a situation that he was going to lose out in no matter which way he decided to play it. He'd been destined to be alone from the moment it was decided that he would be the one that would go through the anomaly to the 21st century.

-o-

 

Sleep had been even more troubled than usual over the last few weeks since Katie and the research team had returned. Matt had tried not to listen to too many of the conversations that the elders had, but stories filtered out into the ranks of the soldiers quickly, and it was hard to ignore the facts. 

It had been ten months since there'd been any new arrivals from the mainland. The fear was that it was now completely barren, void of all life except for the predators that had adapted to life there easily. Anyone who hadn't either made it over to the Irish colony or across to continental Europe was probably dead – either from lack of oxygen, breathing in the increasingly toxic air or torn apart by the creatures. There'd also only been one birth in the last year, followed by three miscarriages in the early stages of pregnancy. Matt had been of the opinion that people simply didn't want to bring children into this world, but the elders were saying that the younger generation were infertile; another side effect of exposure to the toxins in the air. It was a sobering thought, the human race dying out right in front of his eyes. 

He yawned and blinked, glancing at the darkening sky. His shift would soon be over and he could try to get a couple of hours of sleep. He'd promised that he'd help Katie to clear out the dead crops from the biospheres in the morning. Yet another harvest had failed to yield anything worth eating other than some roots which they'd boiled up to make soup. 

An alarm sounded, making Matt jump. It would be a drill he supposed and slowly got to his feet whilst looking for his EMD. He went through the motions of checking that the weapon was properly charged before setting it to standby mode and making his way to his designated position to await instructions. The others were also getting ready, taking their time.

“Matt!” Zach yelled, running towards him with a look of sheer terror on his face. “It's not a drill! The residential complex at zone four... one of the giant beetles...” He was out of breath, clutching his chest. 

“Katie!” Matt had never run as fast in his life as he did in that moment. He didn't care that he was supposed to be staying back and organising the evacuation of the complex, he needed to be where Katie was. He was reassured by the sound of heavy boots pounding behind him, Zach and at least three others were also ignoring their well practised drill to go and help at the residential area. They all had loved ones there and all had to know they were OK. 

The scene that greeted them was one of devastation. Matt had witnessed scenes like this before as a child on the mainland but it didn't make it any less shocking. The ground had opened up, swallowing a huge chunk of the building. People were running around in a state of panic, but there was no sign of the beetle that had caused the chaos. 

“Is everyone OK?” someone shouted. There were various responses but all seemed positive. As far as anyone could tell, there hadn't been any casualties and the beetle had scuttled away back into its tunnel as soon as people started running around. Katie was stood with some of the other researchers she'd been away with and they had concerned looks on their faces, talking amongst themselves in hushed tones.

“I thought you said those beetles were in hibernation for the winter?” Scott asked. Like Gideon, Scott was one of the Elders of the colony and respected as a leader.

“That was a scout,” Katie said. “They send one out to find food and it begins to stockpile it ready for the rest of the cluster to wake when the ground warms up.”

“And it sniffed us out as a potential food source,” Gideon responded, looking grave. Everyone nodded in agreement and looked worried. “We need to step up our patrols. It'll be back now that it knows we're here. We may have scared it away this time, but next time it'll be braver as the need for food takes over from fear.”

Matt glanced over at Zach. At least now his friend was going to get the action he'd been waiting for. Their commanding officer was suggesting that the soldiers should all have a member of the research team with them, offering guidance on the signs to look out for and how best to deal with a beetle. Katie had immediately volunteered to work with Zach and Matt and before anyone could argue against it, she was officially assigned to them. As the newly formed teams began to disperse, Katie explained to Zach that she thought the beetle has probably followed them from the north, staying hidden until hunger got the better of it. 

The ground began to shake beneath their feet. Everyone prepared themselves, weapons raised in readiness. When the creature resurfaced, it took those that had never set eyes on one before by complete surprise. Matt's mouth dropped open and he froze to the spot. He'd listened to Katie's descriptions, read the reports and studies, but he'd not imagined anything of this size. As it reared up, legs flailing and pincers open and closing angrily, Matt heard the familiar sounds of the electronic pulses firing from the EMDs of his colleagues. They were having little effect, and the giant beetle, towering above the surrounding soldiers, began to move forward. 

“We need proper firepower!” Gideon called, sending a group of soldiers back to the supplies complex to find guns that fired bullets. They hadn't needed any of them for some years; the EMDs had been more than enough, and he feared they wouldn't be usable after all this time. 

“We don't have time to wait!” Zach shouted, looking around for something he could use. He grabbed a metal pole that was used as part of the construction for the biospheres and ran forward, brandishing it like a spear.

“What the hell are you doing, soldier?” An officer yelled. 

“If we can get to the soft flesh underneath, we stand a chance.” Zach lunged forward, jabbing the pole at the beetle. Before anyone had time to react, the beetle's front legs had grabbed Zach and then it disappeared back into its tunnel, dragging a screaming Zach with it. 

“Zach!” Matt ran forward, staring down into the hole in horror. “Zach!” He prepared to jump down, but felt arms and hands pulling him back, voices telling him to stay back because it was too dangerous. He struggled free, shrugging them away. “He's my friend and I am not going to just stand back and let that thing kill him.”

“Wait for the firearms, Matt.” someone said, but he ignored them. He dropped himself down into the hole and tried to decide which way the beetle would have taken. Katie's scream above him sent chills down his spine; he hated hearing her anguish but knew it would be even worse if Zach died. He had to go after the beetle. The others could wait if they wanted to. 

He had no idea how fast the beetle could travel. For all he knew it could be miles away by now, but he had to know. Zach could be dead by now anyway, but Matt knew he would not be able to rest until he was certain that there was nothing he could do. 

“They sent me to try and persuade you to come back.” Katie's soft voice made Matt turn. “Gideon thought you might listen to me.”

“He's my friend, Katie. He'd do the same for me. I'm not...” Katie put her hand on his arm and nodded. She knew there wasn't anything she could say that would make Matt leave Zach right now. Matt began to stride forward again, his eyes trained on every corner, bend and hollow in the tunnel. It was part of the first colony that had been set up here so had existed for some time, but Matt noticed that in places there were newer tunnels branching out.

“The beetles,” Katie explained. “They've probably been using the main tunnel for some weeks and are building their nest close to the food source.” It sent a shudder through both of their spines; these deadly creatures had been living on their doorstep and they'd not known. 

Just ahead, they could make out the outline of the beetle. Matt moved to run forward, but Katie grabbed him and told him to be cautious. He stopped, realising Katie had the advantage of knowledge over him in this situation and he should listen to her. As they approached, they could see Zach's lifeless body beneath the beetle. It seemed to be wrapping him in a kind of silk thread, much like the spiders Matt had read about once during his studies of the 21st century. They were too late.

“I'm sorry,” Katie whispered, taking Matt's hand and curling her fingers into his. He swallowed and blinked away the tears he could feel stinging his eyes. Death was certainly not something new to him, but Zach was his partner, the closest thing he had to a friend and now he was gone. 

There was shouting and the sound of running feet echoing down the tunnel from the direction they'd come in. The other soldiers were on their way, presumably with firearms to kill the creature. The noise made the beetle stop what it was doing and rear up angrily again. Matt turned to run, tugging Katie's arm, but something stronger pulled her in the opposite direction. The beetle had her by the leg.

“Hurry!” Matt yelled, desperately trying to pull Katie away and using his free arm to try and push the beetle away. It was hopeless. The creature was too strong and Matt lost his grip on Katie. She screamed as it dragged her away, scuttling down the tunnel with her in its strong pincer like jaws. It all happened so fast then. Matt was pushed aside by the group of soldiers and the sound of gunfire echoed deafeningly in his ears. Then it went silent.

“We got it, it's dead!”someone shouted. Matt pulled himself together and ran towards where they were. The beetle lay motionless on its back, being prodded by a couple of soldiers just to be certain it really was dead.

“Katie?” The remaining group of soldiers moved aside to allow Matt through to where she lay. One put their hand on his shoulder and said that he probably shouldn't look. He ignored them and pushed forward, dropping to his knees at Katie's side. For a moment, he thought she was dead but she opened her eyes and the relief that washed over him was almost overwhelming.

“You certainly know how to scare people,” he said, stroking her tear stained face and brushing away a lock of hair from her eyes. Her breathing was laboured and when she moved her hand away from her chest to reach up and touch his face, Matt noticed the gaping wound that was spitting out blood. 

“Is there a medic on the way?” 

“Yes,” someone responded.

“Hang in there, Katie!” Matt said, pressing her hand to his cheek and then placing his own on hers. 

“Too late, Matty,” she gasped. 

“No! You just have a bad cut. The medic will deal with it and you'll be fine. You have to be. You're coming through that anomaly with me and you and I can...”

“I can't. Promise me one thing, Matty? Promise me that you'll do whatever you have to do to stop all of this.”

“We will stop it, Katie,” Matt could feel the panic rising, his heart racing and his mouth dry. She was slipping away from him. He scooped her weakened body up into his arms and held her against his chest. “We stick together, Katie. Isn't that what we used to say as kids when we shared a room? Remember how you used to cover for me when I had nightmares and wet the bed?”

“Promise me, Matty. I need to know you'll do it.”

“OK, yes. I promise! Just... hang on for a few more minutes, please! The medic's on his way.”

“I love you, Matty.”

Matt let out an anguished cry. Katie's eyes had closed and he knew the exact moment that she slipped away from him for good. He held her tighter, rocking gently and allowing his tears to silently fall, not caring who saw him. It was some minutes later when someone eventually persuaded him to let her go, telling him they'd make sure that hers and Zach's bodies were taken back to the colony for proper burials. 

Dazed, Matt felt a familiar pair of arms circle around him and he finally let everything go that he'd been holding back. Burying his face against Gideon's chest he cried harder than he'd ever cried before. 

“It's OK, Matthew. Let it out,” Gideon stroked his hair, knowing that there were no words that would comfort him at the moment. The best thing to do was just let him grieve.

Suddenly it all fell into place. Matt pulled away, wiped his face and took a deep breath. “When do we leave for the anomaly?”

“We'll help with the clean up here, and then we can be on our way if that's what you want.”

“It is. I'm ready.”

“Yes, Matthew. I believe you are.” Gideon smiled proudly at the young man he'd raised. His time had finally come.


	6. Chapter 6

“Did you know anything about my real parents?” 

The question had come out of nowhere and threw Gideon off kilter for a moment. Matthew had never asked him about his origins before, though it made perfect sense that he'd be curious as he sat and waited for the moment he'd been preparing for his entire life. 

“Not really,” Gideon said softly. “Sam and I were on a clean up mission after an attack on a residential colony and we found you in an underground bunker.” He paused for moment. Part of him wanted to simply say that Matthew had been the only survivor, but he knew that he should not sugar-coat anything. Matthew was a man now, and he'd witnessed scenes far worse than the one where Gideon and Sam had found him as a baby. “Your mother was close to death, but she held on until she knew that you'd be safe.”

“And there was nothing else?”

“Does it matter?”

“Maybe.” Matt sighed and turned away, gazing at the site where they believed the anomaly would be opening some time within the next few hours. Growing up, he'd considered Siobhan and Gideon to be his parents. They'd been the main influences on his life and had been the ones that had kept him safe.

“There's really nothing else that I can tell you. Your mother had an ID bracelet with a chip on it, and I know Siobhan was trying to get the data from it at one point. I think she said it was too old and the technology she had couldn't read it. I'm not even entirely sure how she pinpointed the time that we needed to go back to since the scientists destroyed all of their research when the rebels attacked the base. We just have the anomaly map that they created contained in the protective metallic cylinder, with the prediction for this anomaly highlighted.”

Matt knew the cylinder well. They'd had to leave it behind at the Irish colony along with pretty much everything else they owned. If they were going to fit into the 21st century, they had to rid themselves of anything that might reveal that they weren't from that time. The one and only concession they'd made was a small computer chip that contained images of the disaster. If they needed to convince the people or person responsible, the evidence could be a vital part of their argument. Matt would keep it hidden, possibly attached to a time piece on his wrist. 

“My real family could be out there then,” Matt pondered out loud. “My grandparents, great grandparents. I could be standing next to them and I'd never know.”

“Perhaps its for the best that you don't know,” Gideon said. “The person we're looking for could be absolutely anyone. If you allow your heart to...”

“I know.” Matt closed his eyes. Until Katie's death, he'd not understood fully why Gideon had warned him off forming relationships. Losing her had rocked him to his core. After his initial anger that had spurred him onwards, his grief had overwhelmed him for several long days. The lonely journey across the sea from the Irish colony back to the mainland had given him time to contemplate what lay ahead, so by the time they reached the shore, Matt had refocussed. He knew what he had to do; it would be just him and Gideon. 

The last year had been incredibly hard. Their earlier suspicions had proved to be true. They hadn't come across any other human beings on the mainland, other than a few scattered remains of those fortunate enough to have not become food for the Predators. The human race barely existed; even small pockets of survivors like those they'd left behind at the Irish colony would die sooner rather than later. There had been rumours that those in the far north – what was once known as Scotland – had built a protective barrier at the border to try and keep out the predators. For a while, Matt had thought about making the journey there to see if it were true. It was soon pushed out of his mind. If it was, he wouldn't be able to get through or over the barrier since that was the point of it. Then, even if they had succeeded in keeping out the predators and the beetles, surely they would have run out of food and clean water anyway. It was a completely hopeless situation. Well, almost. 

Gideon began to cough, clutching at his chest. When Matt leaned over to try and offer him a tiny drop of water from a vial they'd found in the last bunker, he pushed him away. Matt turned away and closed his eyes, trying to shut out the sound of his father struggling to breathe, not wanting to contemplate having to go on with this mission without his father. His mind had been made up. Once they were through the anomaly and settled into some kind of living accommodation, his priority was going to be finding medical help. There would be medicines, hospitals with doctors that could help him. Maybe they could even reverse some of the damage done by the toxins he'd breathed in over the years. Matt knew he would have a battle on his hands though. Gideon would not want to be sidelined whilst Matt went off in search of possible suspects. It would not be easy convincing him to listen to a doctor's advice. 

The air was filled with static and the hair on the back of Matt's neck stood up. It was a sight he'd witnessed countless times, but this was different. On the other side of the glowing ball in front of them was everything he had been preparing for his entire life. It was almost mesmerising, and for a moment, Matt just stood and gazed into its depths. 

“This is it, Matthew,” Gideon said, moving to stand beside his son. “We should go through quickly. I have no idea if they are monitoring anomalies at this point in the early 21st century, but if they are then someone will have surely already detected it and be on their way to the location. We don't want to run across anyone yet.”

Matt simply nodded. He could see that his father was ready to go but he was hesitant. After all of this time, what if the scientists had been wrong? Everyone had been so certain that they were right, no-one had ever questioned them or thought to check their calculations. Maybe the disaster hadn't originated in the 21st century at all, or maybe this anomaly didn't lead to the right time. But then he figured that he had already lost everything he cared about, except his father, so there was nothing else to lose by going through the anomaly. It couldn't be any worse there, and it may just be a little better. Shoulders back and breath held, Matt strode forward into the ball of light.

It was a weird feeling, the sensation of all the energy around him was both exhilarating and terrifying. There was a brief moment of panic when he couldn't see his father, but when he emerged seconds later on the other side, it subsided. Gideon was at his side and smiling. “We're here.”

“Wherever 'here' is.”

“It's exactly where we need to be, Matthew. Your mother was a clever woman and I have no doubt that she has sent us to the correct place and time.”

Matt opened his mouth to speak but stopped. For the first time in his life, his lungs filled with clean air; air that was full of life giving oxygen instead of deadly toxins that could kill in minutes. He felt the breeze against his face and breathed in the scent of the forest surrounding them. It was intoxicating, and for a moment Matt drank it all in with closed eyes and a smile on his face. There was a strange sound above which he ignored at first, but curiosity got the better of him and he opened his eyes slowly just in time to see a bird perched on the branch above his head singing so hard its throat was visibly vibrating. The laughter that escaped Matt's lips sent the bird flying away, which made his heart soar. 

Life. Just as he'd seen on the computer all of those years ago. Life as it was meant to be. The whole reason that he'd spent the last twenty or so years preparing to go through the anomaly and save it. 

“We should leave here, Matthew.” Gideon's voice interrupted his thoughts and Matt brought himself back to the immediate situation. His father was right. They shouldn't linger by the anomaly site for too long, though he did think it might be interesting to see who did come to the site, if anyone did at all. It might provide the first clue as to who was interested in them and give him a starting point for his search to find the people responsible for interfering with anomalies. 

As they made their way out of the forest, Matt couldn't help touching the trees and plants. The feel of these living objects was almost alien to him - yes, he'd helped to plant and harvest crops at the Irish colony in the bio-domes, but they'd not felt like this. Those had been scientifically engineered, un-natural almost. A couple of times, he caught Gideon giving him disapproving looks and he stopped, but moments later he'd see another plant and the urge to touch it was too strong to resist. He'd often dreamt about being somewhere like this, but it hadn't felt half as wonderful as the real thing. 

Suddenly, Gideon stopped and placed his finger to his lips as an instruction to tell Matt to be silent. He slipped himself behind a nearby tree and Matt came closer, settling just behind him. At first, Matt couldn't see the reason for them to be hiding, but then his eyes were drawn to movement just ahead of them. He held his breath and wished he had a weapon with him. He was so used to every creature they encountered being a dangerous predator that his instincts took over, forgetting that things would be very different here.

“What are they?” he finally whispered.

“Deer. All females I think.”

Matt was itching to get a closer look but he held back, watching in awe as the three deer grazed peacefully. He observed that their ears were constantly twitching, their eyes scanning their surroundings for signs of potential danger. It was behaviour he recognised since he'd often found himself doing exactly the same when he'd been forced to venture out onto the surface. These deer really were magnificent creatures and Matt couldn't help smiling. 

Gideon placed his hand on Matt's shoulder. “Katie would've been right at home here, wouldn't she?”

Matt nodded, the smile slipping from his face as his thoughts turned to the girl he'd been so close to. She should be here. He could picture her now, recording her observations and getting excited about the onslaught of new sights around them. There was a huge void in his heart that suddenly seemed even bigger, and his eyes began to tingle with unshed tears threatening to fall down his cheeks. Shaking his head, he gathered himself back together and patted his father's hand. There would be time enough to take in their new world and to reflect on it. Right now, they had a job to do and that needed to be their focus. 

The two of them continued on their way, heading due west to where they thought they'd find civilization. Behind them, the feint glow of the anomaly disappeared. There was no going back; wherever it was that they'd found themselves it would now be home. Since there'd been no sign of anyone coming to investigate the anomaly, Matt assumed that there was probably no-one interested them yet. Either that or they hadn't quite figured out the technology that would enable them to know where one had opened. It was a good sign as far as he was concerned since it meant that whoever interfered with them hadn't started yet and he stood a much better chance of stopping them. 

It was some time later when the scenery began to change and they realised they had finally left the forest and had found signs of human life. Matt had seen photos of places like this and both he and Katie had dreamt of being able to set up a home like them. 

“Where do we start?” Matt said, looking in both directions up and down the street. 

“We stick to the plan, Matthew. The church up there should get us on the right track.” Gideon strode forward and Matt followed. Their first task was to find somewhere to live. The research had suggested that a place of worship such as a church was bound to offer sanctuary for those in need of shelter and food. They would easily pass for two men down on their luck and in need of charity. From there, they should be able to find someone who could help them with obtaining ID such as fake birth certificates and passports which would surely be needed to gain employment. 

The woman who was busy arranging flowers in preparation for a wedding at St. Mary's church was very helpful. Matt couldn't help staring at the interior whilst Gideon took down the directions to get to the homeless shelter in the town centre that was run by volunteers from the three churches that served the town. There was hundreds of years of history here; stories of ancestors long buried but not forgotten by those that cared. There'd been nothing like this in his time. The dead had to be simply left where they were in most cases; graveyards had been overflowing long before Matt had even been born and taking the time to place any kind of memorial was unheard of. He wished he could stay here and take it all in, but like the forest and the plant life he'd seen, it would have to wait for now. 

It was just starting to get dark when they arrived at the shelter. There was a queue of people, young and old, waiting for their share in the food handouts and then to be let inside where they could sleep for the night. They joined the end of the line, glancing nervously at the others. “This reminds me of life before I became a soldier,” Gideon said quietly. “When I was a small boy, there was a limited amount of food and water available and it was strictly rationed out.”

Matt tried to picture his father as a boy, standing in line and waiting for his rations. It was a far cry from his own childhood, moving from shelter to shelter and grabbing whatever food they could until they finally settled at the Irish colony. This all seemed very civilised too. Matt had witnessed people fighting over the tiniest scraps of food. Some were even prepared to kill if it meant they got something to eat. Here, everyone just seemed to know that they'd be fed and they just seemed tired and in need of a decent bed.

“You're new,” the grey haired lady who was ladling out some kind of soup said as Matt and Gideon's turn came.

“Yes, we just arrived into town today,” Matt replied.

“Oh, what part of Ireland are you from?”

“Dublin.” It was a well rehearsed answer. They'd stopped naming cities and towns, but Dublin was a name that kept coming up during his studies in preparation for coming to the 21st century and he'd decided it would be safe to say that that was where he was from. 

“A beautiful city,” the lady replied, handing Matt a bowl and a spoon. “Beautiful country really. You must feel a bit let down by here!”

“I don't know. That forest seems very nice. We came across some deer there earlier.”

“True. The Forest of Dean is a big attraction for tourists.”

“Do you have any spare beds for the night?” Gideon asked hopefully. 

“Possibly,” she replied. “You'll have to wait until after 10pm. We give priority to the elderly and to anyone that is vulnerable, like women or children. But after then, if there are spares you're both welcome to stay.”

“Thank you,” Gideon smiled, taking his bowl and following Matt to sit at a large table. They ate in silence, savouring the taste of the first real food either had had in a very long time. The soup warmed them and their stomachs began to feel full after just a few mouthfuls. Someone opposite was complaining about the fact it was “Bloody tomato again!” but neither Matt nor Gideon cared. To them, the taste was like heaven.

As the meal progressed, Matt tried to tune in on various discussions just as he'd been taught to do. A casual conversation could reveal many secrets; secrets that could lead him to finding the person or persons he was looking for. Most of the conversations were meaningless to him. A woman was angrily telling her friend that she'd been turned down for yet another job because she didn't have a fixed address, a group of men were trying to get enough people together to have a game of football the following day because it was better than just sitting in the park waiting for the shelter to reopen and another small group were helping each other to fill in application forms for something or other. What did interest Matt though was a newspaper that two men were reading. He edged a little closer, trying to see what it was that they were so interested in and listened.

“See, didn't I tell ya there was something going on in that forest!”

“It's just a bunch of locals with nothing better to do with their time.”

“Maybe. But that's the third one to go missing this year, and she ain't just some junkie teenager that's probably fallen in the river and drowned. This is a proper respectable lady. A scientist.”

“Who probably got fed up of her old fella and has done a runner.”

“No. It says here that the supermarket has her on CCTV banging on their doors and yelling about something chasing her. They reckon she was being chased by that beast. There's something in the dark shadows on the footage but they can't make it out.”

Matt grew even more interested and decided to ask questions. “A beast in the forest?”

“There's people that reckon they've seen it roaming around after dark. Strange lights too. If I believed in that sort of thing I'd say it was aliens!” the first man said. His friend let out a snort of laughter and shook his head in disbelief before standing up and walking away. Matt moved and took his place so that he could read the article for himself.

The scientist, Helen Cutter, had been working in the area investigating reports of unusual freak weather patterns. She'd been particularly interested in the disappearance of two teenagers, both of whom had been separated from friends in the forest after seeing strange lights. Matt instantly knew what those lights were. It seemed the forest must be a hotspot for anomaly activity in this time and this Helen Cutter had most likely seen them. Matt couldn't believe his luck. They'd been here only a matter of hours and already he had a line of investigation. He had to find out more about Helen Cutter and what she knew about the anomalies. Somehow, he knew it was the right path to pursue.

Suddenly, Matt became aware of a flurry of activity and he looked up. The lady that had served the soup was with a man and they were both fussing over Gideon. Matt rushed over, concerned. Gideon was having one of his coughing fits, and when he took his handkerchief away from his mouth there were spots of blood on it.

“That's quite a cough you have there,” the man said. “Have you seen a doctor recently?”

“There's no need for fuss, I'm fine...”

“We were going to try and see a doctor once we'd found somewhere to settle,” Matt intervened. “It's very difficult when you don't have a fixed address.” He was pleased he'd been listening to the discussions around him, since that seemed a very valid argument and the woman nodded sympathetically. 

“I'll take you to the local hospital myself,” she said. “They know me and they'll see you. You shouldn't be sleeping rough in your condition. No arguing.”

Before they knew it, Gideon was being helped into a motor vehicle and Matt was being directed to sit in the front seat. As they drove towards the hospital, he glanced out of the window. This place could be an alien planet for all he knew, and if it wasn't for the fact he'd seen old images of this time during his training he would never have believed this was the same planet he'd be born on. 

“You don't need to worry,” the woman said. “He'll be in good hands at the hospital. I'm Maria by the way, it's Matt isn't it?”

“Yes. It's just that... well he's all I have. My mother died some time ago, and we lost my sister about a year ago.”

“I'm sorry to hear that. They'll have your father fixed up in no time and the pair of you will be back on your feet before you know it. I have a good feeling about you.”

But as Matt stood by and helplessly watched them wheel his father away into the hospital, he couldn't help being afraid that he would be facing his huge task completely alone.

 

##

 

It had been a very long five weeks. Matt sat on the end of the narrow bed and gazed around the dormitory that would be his home from now on; for the next six months at least anyway. The hospital had been wonderful and Gideon looked considerably better than he had for a long time. He'd been diagnosed with bronchiectasis, a condition that had responded well to antibiotics initially but the damage to Gideon's lungs over the years meant the doctors were concerned for his long term health. As a result, social services had become involved and Gideon was admitted to a residential nursing home where he'd be taken care of. It was a beautiful house, with gardens that stretched out as far as the eye could see where the residents could just sit in peace. After a few protests, Matt had persuaded Gideon that this was the best place for him to be, and Gideon settled very quickly.

It had left Matt in a difficult situation though. Whilst Gideon was in the hospital, they'd allowed him to stay with him. The nurses took pity on Matt and gave him food and brought in clothing that their own sons and husbands were getting rid of. In return, he helped out with cleaning jobs or escorting male patients to the bathroom when the nurses were busy. The arrangement worked well; he had somewhere to base himself and his father was being cared for. 

For a few hours a day, Matt would walk into the town and visit the local library. He soaked up every bit of information about the area that he could and soon learnt that the Forest of Dean had many stories of people mysteriously disappearing and creature sightings. Matt was in no doubt that these were down to anomaly activity, and that Helen Cutter was here investigating them. He had to find out what she knew and why she was so interested in them.

Once Gideon was moved into the home, Matt was left without somewhere to stay and he went back to the shelter. Maria welcomed him of course and enquired after his father, but he knew that he couldn't stay. He would have to find work of some description, earn some money and set himself up in his own accommodation, no matter how basic, if he was to continue with his mission.

So that was when he found himself wandering aimlessly through the town and coming across the Army recruitment offices. It made sense; Matt had spent his entire life being trained for a military career anyway. Today was the first day of basic training. He'd sail through it of course, and then find a suitable career route that would enable him to find out what the government and the military knew about anomalies already. Helen Cutter's case had been closed; she'd been declared 'missing presumed dead' and her husband had held a memorial service for her.

“On your feet, Anderson!” a voice boomed. It was his new commanding officer. Matt stood to attention and saluted, awaiting further instruction. “You should be outside with your comrades, not lounging around on your bed. You're in the Army now, son!”

“Yes Sir,” Matt responded, and practically ran to join the rest of the new recruits who were all lined up outside for inspection. 

“Feel that, Anderson?” The sergeant barked when it was his turn to come under scrutiny. 

“The wind, Sir?”

“Not just the wind, Anderson. It's the wind of change, son. Today you become a man. Don't you forget it!”

Matt allowed a small smile to trace across his face after the sergeant had passed. Change was definitely in the air. He was in the right time and place to be able to make a difference, and even though everyone else seemed to have given up on Helen Cutter, he hadn't. He knew she was simply on the other side of an anomaly, and right now she'd be trying to find a way back home. And when she did, he'd be waiting for her.


End file.
